Redefining Recruitment to Retention
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An Exclusive Experience
for AAPPR Leadership Circle Members

Ascend is a high-impact leadership intensive designed for recruitment professionals ready to rise to the next level of influence, clarity, and strategic leadership. Created exclusively for AAPPR Leadership Circle members, Ascend brings together driven leaders for an immersive experience focused on self-awareness, strategic thinking,
and real-world leadership application within physician and provider recruitment.

 

What is the leadership intensive?

 

High performing recruitment leaders often feel underprepared for the intricate executive-level challenges of workforce development, organizational performance, and team retention that come with expanded leadership responsibility.

Ascend was created as a leadership intensive experience designed to close that gap through practical skills development, real‑world application, and intentional accountability.

This is not a passive learning event. Ascend is an immersive space to reflect, challenge assumptions, sharpen leadership capabilities, and engage in meaningful dialogue with peers who share a commitment to advancing the provider recruitment profession.
Register Today

 

The Core Question

How do in-house recruitment leaders strengthen their executive presence and strategic impact?

 

Senior leaders aren’t looking for more training. They are looking for insight, validation, and meaningful access to peers who understand the pressure of leadership. Ascend: A Leadership Intensive is an exclusive gathering of senior recruitment leaders designed to strengthen executive presence, deepen strategic thinking, and forge connections with peers who understand the pressures of leadership in physician and provider recruitment.

 

Who is this intensive for?

 

– Recruitment leaders managing teams or programs
– High-potential professionals preparing for expanded leadership roles
– Experienced leaders seeking renewed perspective and growth
– Leadership Circle members committed to intentional professional development

Whether you are stepping into leadership or refining your approach, Ascend meets you where you are and helps you move upward.

Who should attend?

 

Leadership in physician and provider recruitment is evolving, demanding greater adaptability, emotional intelligence, and strategic vision.

Ascend is a focused leadership intensive designed to strengthen executive presence, sharpen decision‑making, and expand leaders’ ability to drive workforce performance and retention through real‑world application and peer engagement.

The Experience

 

Through applied leadership exercises grounded in real recruitment scenarios, participants will strengthen the following capabilities:

– Executive decision-making in complex environments
– Strategic thinking and problem solving
– Emotional intelligence applied at the organizational level
– Giving and receiving feedback with high-level impact
– Coaching, developing, and influencing others
– Managing conflict while maintaining leadership presence

Ascend is thoughtfully structured to balance learning, connection, and personal growth. Leaders will leave energized and equipped to apply what they’ve gained.
Join the Cohort

 

Two Days. One Transformative Program.

  • Day One | Arrive & Connect

    Before the real work starts, recruitment leaders from across the country will come together to connect, share perspective, and establish the trust that makes everything that follows possible. Through intentional conversation and guided reflection, you will begin to orient yourself within the cohort, surface the leadership challenges you carry into the room, and build the mental and emotional readiness needed to get the most out of the days ahead.

    Day One Focus Areas

     

    Welcome

    We will set the tone for an immersive leadership experience within the AAPPR Leadership Circle community

    Connection

    Build authentic relationships with a cohort of peers who understand the challenges you face

    Context

    Establish a shared understanding of the leadership landscape in physician and provider recruitment

    Mindset

    Lay the mental and emotional foundation for the transformative work ahead

  • Day Two | Leading at the Executive Level

    The day begins with leading yourself through clarity, discipline, and self-awareness, then extends to guiding teams through complex challenges and fostering meaningful collaboration. As the day deepens, the focus shifts outward from who you are as a leader to how you lead the business and the people within it. Through peer dialogue, real-world scenarios, and applied exercises grounded in physician and provider recruitment, you will strengthen your ability to apply emotional intelligence, coach and develop others, and build the organizational influence needed to drive workforce transformation. You will leave with practical insights you can implement immediately, peer-tested ideas, and a clear sense of the executive leader you are becoming.

    Day Two Focus Areas

     

    Awareness

    Navigating the executive-level challenges unique to physician and provider recruitment

    Alignment

    Building collaboration across competing organizational priorities and stakeholder demands

    Empathy

    Emotional intelligence as a leadership tool in high-stakes workforce environments

    Clarity

    Making sound decisions and listening actively when the pressure to perform is high

    Vision

    Strategic thinking and problem solving in a shifting healthcare workforce landscape

    Innovation

    Leveraging AI and emerging technology to strengthen recruitment operations and stay ahead of workforce shifts

    Candor

    Delivering and receiving feedback that drives real performance outcomes

    Influence

    Leading and influencing across all levels of the organization, including senior stakeholders, while effectively managing conflict across recruitment, clinical, and operational teams

    Retention

    Strengthening onboarding and retention programs in a competitive physician and provider market

    Adaptability

    Preparing recruitment teams and structures for the evolving demands of the healthcare workforce

    Identity

    Integrating your leadership identity as a recruitment executive driving lasting workforce impact

Schedule at a Glance


Preview the flow of the experience.

Rigorous. Interactive. Experience-forward.

Built for the realities of physician and provider recruitment leadership.

What Participants Will Learn

Through applied leadership exercises grounded in real recruitment scenarios, participants will strengthen the following capabilities:

– Executive decision-making in complex environments
– Strategic thinking and problem solving
– Emotional intelligence applied at the organizational level
– Giving and receiving feedback with high-level impact
– Coaching, developing, and influencing others
– Managing conflict while maintaining leadership presence

Participation in Ascend is exclusive to AAPPR Leadership Circle members, reinforcing a trusted environment for open conversation, collaboration, and growth among peers.

Join Us in Destin, Florida

Ascend is an exclusive, limited-enrollment experience. Enroll early to take advantage of inaugural rates and reserve your spot among a select group of in-house recruitment leaders ready to elevate their impact.

Program Fees

– $895 For the first 25 confirmed registrants.
– $1,450 Regular registration pricing after 25 confirmed registrants.

Register Today

We are here to help. Send your questions to info@aappr.org and a member of our team will be in touch.

Eligibility Criteria

 

Participation in Ascend is limited to eligible AAPPR Leadership Circle members.
Attendees must meet membership requirements to register as a participant.

✓ Attendees must be current AAPPR members with the Leadership Circle membership upgrade.
✓ Participants should have responsibilities related to recruitment, onboarding, or retention.
✓ Vendor organizations are not eligible to attend.
✓ AAPPR reserves the right to deny registration to those who do not meet the eligibility criteria.

 

A Leadership Experience Worth the Destination

Set the stage for an unforgettable 2026 Ascend: A Leadership Intensive held at Henderson Beach Resort on Florida’s stunning Emerald Coast. This beautiful coastal destination blends Southern charm with modern luxury, offering breathtaking ocean views, thoughtfully designed accommodations, and elevated amenities that create the perfect environment to connect, reflect, and grow as a leader.

After your registration is confirmed, you will receive all the details you need to book your hotel accommodations and plan your stay. Gulf view rooms rooms are available at a rate of $299 per night, per room, with applicable taxes and fees collected at check-in. The rate displayed online includes the room rate, resort fee, and taxes on the resort fee.
Explore the Henderson Beach Resort

 

Where Recruitment Leaders Belong

The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is the mission-aligned authority on addressing clinical workforce shortages and expanding access to care. AAPPR represents more than 2,700 embedded recruitment leaders who serve as strategic partners inside hospitals and health systems, leading end-to-end recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies that secure the clinical workforce communities depend on.

Not a member?

AAPPR Membership is open to anyone directly involved in, or influencing, recruitment, onboarding and retention for a health system, hospital, network, specialty hospital, specialty practice group or physicians group.
Become an AAPPR Member

 

Elevate Your Leadership Impact
with the AAPPR Leadership Circle

The AAPPR Leadership Circle is an exclusive membership add-on for current and aspiring recruitment leaders who want to expand their impact and elevate their leadership skills. This premier offering brings together experienced and emerging leaders committed to advancing the physician and provider recruitment profession. Members gain access to a collaborative, high-level community focused on strategic thinking, innovation, and leadership development.

Join the Leadership Circle

Questions? Find answers in the AAPPR Membership FAQs

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